Global Compact Relaunches Mexican Network

(Mexico City) – Almost 200 representatives from business, government, civil society and academia met in Mexico City for the relaunch of the Global Compact Mexico Network. The event was hosted by the business school IPADE (Instituto Panamericano de Alta Direccion de Empresas), which is also a Steering Committee member of the network.

The event’s keynote speech was delivered by Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Mexican Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, who called on all companies to join the Global Compact and lead the movement towards greater corporate sustainability in Mexico, and to translate the principles of the Global Compact into action in their day-to-day operations. He further challenged companies to address environmental challenges and to contribute to the climate change debate within the country.

Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact, stressed that joining the Global Compact and the network can offer competitive advantages as it helps improve their corporate sustainability performance through the sharing of best practices and knowledge between businesses. He also challenged the network to be the largest network in Latin America by the next year.

Gustavo Perez, the Representative of the network, highlighted that the main mission of the Global Compact in Mexico is to contribute to achieve a sustainable, global and inclusive economy.

Four steering committee members (Tosk Restaurants, Cementos Cruz Azul, PricewaterhouseCoopers and IPADE) detailed the main advantages of joining the Global Compact and, specifically, of being involved in the network as an active member.

Diana Chavez, the Director of the Regional Centre for the Support of Global Compact in Latin America and the Caribbean, outlined the region’s main challenges in regard to the implementation of the Global Compact principles, including social inequality. She also stressed the willingness of the Centre to continue supporting the Mexico Network in order to improve its performance and increase the number of participants.

The Mexico Network was first launched in 2005 with the support of several UN agencies, such as UNDP, among others. Currently, the network is hosted by UNIDO, carrying out the daily management operation of the network. The relaunch of the network marked the Network’s transition from an UN-led to a business-led entity. With more than 200 participants, the Mexican Network is the third largest Global Compact network in Latin America.